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Internet Radio
If you've ever wanted a shortwave radio but couldn't afford
the price tag, internet radio is a great alternative. There
are radio stations online from around the globe broadcasting
all hours of the day.
You can hear everything from news in
New Zealand to electronic from someone's basement. Many web
sites offer internet broadcasts of real-world radio
stations, and other sites play purely online radio. Some
stations adhere to the traditional music and announcer
format while others just serve up the tunes. Most sites use
either RealAudio or Shout cast which is an MP3 streaming
technology.
To access Shout cast and Icecast streams you need an MP3
player like Win Amp or FreeAmp which are freeware. Mac users
can download the latest free version of the Destiny Media
Player or SoundJam MP. MacAst (formerly MacAmp) is also
compatible but only the demo is free. Full-featured
shareware players usually cost between $30-$60.
The coolest thing about Shoutcast is that it allows anyone
to produce and broadcast streaming audio. If you have the
technical inclination, you can download applications that
let you set-up and run a broadcast server and produce your
own radio programs.
Keep in mind that many of these streams are created in
someone's basement so server capacity can be limited to just
a handful of listeners. Other sites can handle hundreds or
thousands of listeners. Servers also broadcast at differing
bandwidths. Choose a station that is broadcasting at a bit
rate your connection can handle. For instance, if you have a
slow 28K modem you won't be able to handle a 128 kbps
stream. For a list of Internet radio stations.
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